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When Food Isn’t the Answer to Hunger

“The expense of shipping sacks of wheat isn’t the only problem with sending hungry people commodities. Cereals aren’t very nutritious for the malnourished. But American companies make ready-to-use therapeutic foods, like a paste of peanuts with nutrients that has proven miraculous at reviving children suffering from even severe malnutrition. Sealed into what looks like big ketchup packets, the peanut paste doesn’t need to be reconstituted (thus avoiding the perils of dirty water) and keeps forever. Because it’s highly concentrated, it’s efficient to ship. It’s made by several companies in the United States,among them MANA, and Shah says that 10 or 12 other new products are in the pipeline. “During critical times of need, these products are the most lifesaving and have the highest impact,” he said. ‘It’s a much better way to conduct food assistance.'”

Read the entire New York Times op-ed, “When Food Isn’t the Answer to Hunger” by Tina Rosenberg, here.